Systems and methods for providing alternate line selection information on a mobile device

ABSTRACT

A system and method for providing a user interface that allows users to change the active line on which an outgoing call may be placed. In example embodiments, upon detecting call screen interaction a line selection menu is displayed. The line selection menu contains a plurality of line identifiers, each line identifier uniquely identifying a corresponding one of the multiple communication lines accessible at the mobile device. A system and method is also presented for providing a call log for identifying call activity associated with a plurality of communication lines.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/993,471, filed Jan. 12, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/041,683, filed Mar. 4, 2008 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,270,800, issued Feb. 23, 2016), which is incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to mobile deviceapplications, and more specifically to phone-equipped mobile devicesthat allow outgoing calls to be made by a user on a communication lineselected from a plurality of communication lines.

BACKGROUND

Many modern mobile devices are multi-functional. They may be configuredto allow users to engage in both electronic mail (“e-mail”)communications and telephone communications, for example. Additionally,it is common for a user to utilize the mobile device for differentpurposes. For example, a user may operate a single mobile device toengage in communications relating to both business and personal uses.

Phone-equipped mobile devices may be adapted to accommodate an AlternateLine Service (ALS) or similar multi-line service. With respect to thesemobile devices, two or more phone numbers may be associated with amobile device, with each phone number being associated with a differentcommunication line. A user may wish to place an outgoing call on aspecific communication line so that when the call is received by areceiving party, the phone number associated with that communicationline will be identified on the receiving party's phone where “calldisplay” (or “Caller ID”) functionality has been enabled on that phone.Use of multiple communication lines may also be useful for line-specifictracking purposes (e.g. to facilitate separate billing for callsrelating to business and personal uses).

Typically, in mobile device applications, only one communication line isdeemed to be “active” at any given time (although in some instances itis possible to have a call on multiple lines at once, as will beunderstood). Outgoing calls are placed on the active line until analternate communication line is selected. Outgoing calls are generallyinitiated by a user from a call screen provided by an application (e.g.a phone application) residing and executing on the mobile device. A usermay forget or not be aware that ALS functionality is available on themobile device. Further, a user may wish to keep track of callingactivity by corresponding communication line.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of example embodiments described herein, andto show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference willnow be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile device in one exampleimplementation;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a communication subsystem component of themobile device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a node of a wireless network;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating further aspects of the examplemobile device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating steps of a method of providing a userinterface that facilitates user selection of a communication line inaccordance with at least one embodiment;

FIGS. 6A to 6D are examples of screenshots of a user interface providedto a user in accordance with an example implementation of oneembodiment;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating steps of a method of displaying acall log on a mobile device in accordance with at least one embodiment;and

FIGS. 8A to 8D are examples of screenshots of a user interface providedto a user in accordance with an example implementation of anotherembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described herein are generally directed to a system andmethod for providing ALS information to mobile device users and a userinterface therefore.

In a broad aspect, there is provided a method of providing on a mobiledevice a dynamic user interface for identifying a plurality ofcommunication lines on which outgoing calls may be made, the methodcomprising: displaying a call screen on a display of the mobile device;scanning for call screen interaction; and upon detecting call screeninteraction, displaying on the display a line selection menu containinga plurality of line identifiers, each line identifier uniquelyidentifying a corresponding one of the communication lines.

These and other aspects and features of various embodiments will bedescribed in greater detail below.

Some embodiments described herein make use of a mobile station. A mobilestation is a two-way communication device with advanced datacommunication capabilities having the capability to communicate withother computer systems, and is also referred to herein generally as amobile device. A mobile device may also include the capability for voicecommunications. Depending on the functionality provided by a mobiledevice, it may be referred to as a data messaging device, a two-waypager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, a wirelessInternet appliance, or a data communication device (with or withouttelephony capabilities). A mobile device communicates with other devicesthrough a network of transceiver stations.

To aid the reader in understanding the structure of a mobile device andhow it communicates with other devices, reference is made to FIGS. 1through 3.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a mobile device in oneexample implementation is shown generally as 100. Mobile device 100comprises a number of components, the controlling component beingmicroprocessor 102. Microprocessor 102 controls the overall operation ofmobile device 100. Communication functions, including data and voicecommunications, are performed through communication subsystem 104.Communication subsystem 104 receives messages from and sends messages toa wireless network 200. In this example implementation of mobile device100, communication subsystem 104 is configured in accordance with theGlobal System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and General Packet RadioServices (GPRS) standards. The GSM/GPRS wireless network is usedworldwide and it is expected that these standards will be supersededeventually by Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) and Universal MobileTelecommunications Service (UMTS). New standards are still beingdefined, but it is believed that they will have similarities to thenetwork behaviour described herein, and it will also be understood bypersons skilled in the art that the invention is intended to use anyother suitable standards that are developed in the future. The wirelesslink connecting communication subsystem 104 with network 200 representsone or more different Radio Frequency (RF) channels, operating accordingto defined protocols specified for GSM/GPRS communications. With newernetwork protocols, these channels are capable of supporting both circuitswitched voice communications and packet switched data communications.

Although the wireless network associated with mobile device 100 is aGSM/GPRS wireless network in one example implementation of mobile device100, other wireless networks may also be associated with mobile device100 in variant implementations. Alternatively, the network and device100 might employ WiFi/WiMax radios utilizing SIP (session initializationprotocols) and VoIP (voice over internet protocols). Different types ofwireless networks that may be employed include, for example,data-centric wireless networks, voice-centric wireless networks, anddual-mode networks that can support both voice and data communicationsover the same physical base stations. Combined dual-mode networksinclude, but are not limited to, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) orCDMA2000 networks, GSM/GPRS networks (as mentioned above), and futurethird-generation (3G) networks like EDGE and UMTS. Some older examplesof data-centric networks include the Mobitex™ Radio Network and theDataTAC™ Radio Network. Examples of older voice-centric data networksinclude Personal Communication Systems (PCS) networks like GSM and TimeDivision Multiple Access (TDMA) systems.

Microprocessor 102 also interacts with additional subsystems such as aRandom Access Memory (RAM) 106, flash memory 108, display 110, auxiliaryinput/output (I/O) subsystem 112, serial port 114, keyboard 116, speaker118, microphone 120, short-range communications 122 and other devices124.

Some of the subsystems of mobile device 100 performcommunication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide“resident” or on-device functions. By way of example, display 110 andkeyboard 116 may be used for both communication-related functions, suchas entering a text message for transmission over network 200, anddevice-resident functions such as a calculator or task list. Operatingsystem software used by microprocessor 102 is typically stored in apersistent store such as flash memory 108, which may alternatively be aread-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the operating system, specificdevice applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into avolatile store such as RAM 106.

Mobile device 100 may send and receive communication signals overnetwork 200 after required network registration or activation procedureshave been completed. Network access is associated with a subscriber oruser of a mobile device 100. To identify a subscriber, mobile device 100requires a Subscriber Identity Module or “SIM” card 126 to be insertedin a SIM interface 128 in order to communicate with a network. SIM 126is one type of a conventional “smart card” used to identify a subscriberof mobile device 100 and to personalize the mobile device 100, amongother things. Without SIM 126, mobile device 100 is not fullyoperational for communication with network 200. By inserting SIM 126into SIM interface 128, a subscriber can access all subscribed services.Services could include: web browsing and messaging such as e-mail, voicemail, Short Message Service (SMS), and Multimedia Messaging Services(MMS). More advanced services may include: point of sale, field serviceand sales force automation. SIM 126 includes a processor and memory forstoring information. Once SIM 126 is inserted in SIM interface 128, itis coupled to microprocessor 102. In order to identify the subscriber,SIM 126 contains some user parameters such as an International MobileSubscriber Identity (IMSI). An advantage of using SIM 126 is that asubscriber is not necessarily bound by any single physical mobiledevice. SIM 126 may store additional subscriber information for a mobiledevice as well, including datebook (or calendar) information and recentcall information.

Mobile device 100 is a battery-powered device and includes a batteryinterface 132 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 130.Battery interface 132 is coupled to a regulator (not shown), whichassists battery 130 in providing power V+ to mobile device 100. Althoughcurrent technology makes use of a battery, future technologies such asmicro fuel cells may provide the power to mobile device 100.

Microprocessor 102, in addition to its operating system functions,enables execution of software applications on mobile device 100. A setof applications that control basic device operations, including data andvoice communication applications, will normally be installed on mobiledevice 100 during its manufacture. Another application that may beloaded onto mobile device 100 would be a personal information manager(PIM). A PIM has functionality to organize and manage data items ofinterest to a subscriber, such as, but not limited to, e-mail, calendarevents, voice mails, appointments, and task items. A PIM application hasthe ability to send and receive data items via wireless network 200. PIMdata items may be seamlessly integrated, synchronized, and updated viawireless network 200 with the mobile device subscriber's correspondingdata items stored and/or associated with a host computer system. Thisfunctionality creates a mirrored host computer on mobile device 100 withrespect to such items. This can be particularly advantageous where thehost computer system is the mobile device subscriber's office computersystem.

Additional applications may also be loaded onto mobile device 100through network 200, auxiliary I/O subsystem 112, serial port 114,short-range communications subsystem 122, or any other suitablesubsystem 124. This flexibility in application installation increasesthe functionality of mobile device 100 and may provide enhancedon-device functions, communication-related functions, or both. Forexample, secure communication applications may enable electroniccommerce functions and other such financial transactions to be performedusing mobile device 100.

Serial port 114 enables a subscriber to set preferences through anexternal device or software application and extends the capabilities ofmobile device 100 by providing for information or software downloads tomobile device 100 other than through a wireless communication network.The alternate download path may, for example, be used to load anencryption key onto mobile device 100 through a direct and thus reliableand trusted connection to provide secure device communication.

Short-range communications subsystem 122 provides for communicationbetween mobile device 100 and different systems or devices, without theuse of network 200. For example, subsystem 122 may include an infrareddevice and associated circuits and components for short-rangecommunication. Examples of short range communication would includestandards developed by the Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Bluetooth™,and the 802.11 family of standards developed by IEEE.

In use, a received signal such as a text message, an e-mail message, orweb page download will be processed by communication subsystem 104 andinput to microprocessor 102. Microprocessor 102 will then process thereceived signal for output to display 110 or alternatively to auxiliaryI/O subsystem 112. A subscriber may also compose data items, such ase-mail messages, for example, using keyboard 116 in conjunction withdisplay 110 and possibly auxiliary I/O subsystem 112. Auxiliarysubsystem 112 may include devices such as: a touch screen, mouse, trackball, infrared fingerprint detector, or a roller wheel with dynamicbutton pressing capability. Keyboard 116 is an alphanumeric keyboardand/or telephone-type keypad. A composed item may be transmitted overnetwork 200 through communication subsystem 104.

For voice communications, the overall operation of mobile device 100 issubstantially similar, except that the received signals would be outputto speaker 118, and signals for transmission would be generated bymicrophone 120. Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as avoice message recording subsystem, may also be implemented on mobiledevice 100. Although voice or audio signal output is accomplishedprimarily through speaker 118, display 110 may also be used to provideadditional information such as the identity of a calling party, durationof a voice call, or other voice call related information.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of the communication subsystemcomponent 104 of FIG. 1 is shown. Communication subsystem 104 comprisesa receiver 150, a transmitter 152, one or more embedded or internalantenna elements 154, 156, Local Oscillators (LOs) 158, and a processingmodule such as a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) 160.

The particular design of communication subsystem 104 is dependent uponthe network 200 in which mobile device 100 is intended to operate, thusit should be understood that the design illustrated in FIG. 2 servesonly as one example. Signals received by antenna 154 through network 200are input to receiver 150, which may perform such common receiverfunctions as signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering,channel selection, and analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion. A/Dconversion of a received signal allows more complex communicationfunctions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in DSP 160.In a similar manner, signals to be transmitted are processed, includingmodulation and encoding, by DSP 160. These DSP-processed signals areinput to transmitter 152 for digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion,frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification and transmission overnetwork 200 via antenna 156. DSP 160 not only processes communicationsignals, but also provides for receiver and transmitter control. Forexample, the gains applied to communication signals in receiver 150 andtransmitter 152 may be adaptively controlled through automatic gaincontrol algorithms implemented in DSP 160.

The wireless link between mobile device 100 and a network 200 maycontain one or more different channels, typically different RF channels,and associated protocols used between mobile device 100 and network 200.A RF channel is a limited resource that must be conserved, typically dueto limits in overall bandwidth and limited battery power of mobiledevice 100.

When mobile device 100 is fully operational, transmitter 152 istypically keyed or turned on only when it is sending to network 200 andis otherwise turned off to conserve resources. Similarly, receiver 150is periodically turned off to conserve power until it is needed toreceive signals or information (if at all) during designated timeperiods.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a node of a wireless networkis shown as 202. In practice, network 200 comprises one or more nodes202. Mobile device 100 communicates with a node 202 within wirelessnetwork 200. In the example implementation of FIG. 3, node 202 isconfigured in accordance with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) andGlobal Systems for Mobile (GSM) technologies. Node 202 includes a basestation controller (BSC) 204 with an associated tower station 206, aPacket Control Unit (PCU) 208 added for GPRS support in GSM, a MobileSwitching Center (MSC) 210, a Home Location Register (HLR) 212, aVisitor Location Registry (VLR) 214, a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN)216, a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) 218, and a Dynamic HostConfiguration Protocol (DHCP) 220. This list of components is not meantto be an exhaustive list of the components of every node 202 within aGSM/GPRS network, but rather a list of components that are commonly usedin communications through network 200.

In a GSM network, MSC 210 is coupled to BSC 204 and to a landlinenetwork, such as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 222 tosatisfy circuit switched requirements. The connection through PCU 208,SGSN 216 and GGSN 218 to the public or private network (Internet) 224(also referred to herein generally as a shared network infrastructure)represents the data path for GPRS capable mobile devices. In a GSMnetwork extended with GPRS capabilities, BSC 204 also contains a PacketControl Unit (PCU) 208 that connects to SGSN 216 to controlsegmentation, radio channel allocation and to satisfy packet switchedrequirements. To track mobile device location and availability for bothcircuit switched and packet switched management, HLR 212 is sharedbetween MSC 210 and SGSN 216. Access to VLR 214 is controlled by MSC210.

Station 206 is a fixed transceiver station. Station 206 and BSC 204together form the fixed transceiver equipment. The fixed transceiverequipment provides wireless network coverage for a particular coveragearea commonly referred to as a “cell”. The fixed transceiver equipmenttransmits communication signals to and receives communication signalsfrom mobile devices within its cell via station 206. The fixedtransceiver equipment normally performs such functions as modulation andpossibly encoding and/or encryption of signals to be transmitted to themobile device in accordance with particular, usually predetermined,communication protocols and parameters, under control of its controller.The fixed transceiver equipment similarly demodulates and possiblydecodes and decrypts, if necessary, any communication signals receivedfrom mobile device 100 within its cell. Communication protocols andparameters may vary between different nodes. For example, one node mayemploy a different modulation scheme and operate at differentfrequencies than other nodes.

For all mobile devices 100 registered with a specific network, permanentconfiguration data such as a user profile is stored in HLR 212. HLR 212also contains location information for each registered mobile device andcan be queried to determine the current location of a mobile device. MSC210 is responsible for a group of location areas and stores the data ofthe mobile devices currently in its area of responsibility in VLR 214.Further VLR 214 also contains information on mobile devices that arevisiting other networks. The information in VLR 214 includes part of thepermanent mobile device data transmitted from HLR 212 to VLR 214 forfaster access. By moving additional information from a remote HLR 212node to VLR 214, the amount of traffic between these nodes can bereduced so that voice and data services can be provided with fasterresponse times and at the same time requiring less use of computingresources.

SGSN 216 and GGSN 218 are elements added for GPRS support; namely packetswitched data support, within GSM. SGSN 216 and MSC 210 have similarresponsibilities within wireless network 200 by keeping track of thelocation of each mobile device 100. SGSN 216 also performs securityfunctions and access control for data traffic on network 200. GGSN 218provides internetworking connections with external packet switchednetworks and connects to one or more SGSNs 216 via an Internet Protocol(IP) backbone network operated within the network 200. During normaloperations, a given mobile device 100 must perform a “GPRS Attach” toacquire an IP address and to access data services. This requirement isnot present in circuit switched voice channels as Integrated ServicesDigital Network (ISDN) addresses are used for routing incoming andoutgoing calls. Currently, all GPRS capable networks use private,dynamically assigned IP addresses, thus requiring a DHCP server 220connected to the GGSN 218. There are many mechanisms for dynamic IPassignment, including using a combination of a Remote AuthenticationDial-In User Service (RADIUS) server and DHCP server. Once the GPRSAttach is complete, a logical connection is established from a mobiledevice 100, through PCU 208, and SGSN 216 to an Access Point Node (APN)within GGSN 218. The APN represents a logical end of an IP tunnel thatcan either access direct Internet compatible services or private networkconnections. The APN also represents a security mechanism for network200, insofar as each mobile device 100 must be assigned to one or moreAPNs and mobile devices 100 cannot exchange data without firstperforming a GPRS Attach to an APN that it has been authorized to use.The APN may be considered to be similar to an Internet domain name suchas “myconnection.wireless.com”.

Once the GPRS Attach is complete, a tunnel is created and all traffic isexchanged within standard IP packets using any protocol that can besupported in IP packets. This includes tunneling methods such as IP overIP as in the case with some IPSecurity (IPsec) connections used withVirtual Private Networks (VPN). These tunnels are also referred to asPacket Data Protocol (PDP) Contexts and there are a limited number ofthese available in the network 200. To maximize use of the PDP Contexts,network 200 will run an idle timer for each PDP Context to determine ifthere is a lack of activity. When a mobile device 100 is not using itsPDP Context, the PDP Context can be de-allocated and the IP addressreturned to the IP address pool managed by DHCP server 220.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a block diagram illustrating further aspects ofmobile device 100 of FIG. 1 is shown generally as 300. As noted earlierwith reference to FIG. 1, microprocessor 102, in addition to itsoperating system functions, enables execution of software applicationson mobile device 100. A set of applications that control basic deviceoperations, including data and voice communication applications, willnormally be installed on mobile device 100 during its manufacture.Operating system software and other software applications are typicallystored in a persistent store (e.g. flash memory 108) or other store, onmobile device 100 or on a device coupled thereto. It will be understoodthat the operating system, software applications or parts thereof, maybe temporarily loaded in a volatile store such as RAM 106. Otherinstructions and/or data received by the mobile device 100 and subjectto processing may also be temporarily stored in RAM 106.

Software applications that are loaded or stored on mobile device 100 maybe implemented as functional components or modules 310. Modules 310interact with various components of mobile device 100. For instance, asshown by way of example in FIG. 4, modules 310 may interact withcommunication subsystem 104, RAM 106, flash memory 108, display 110,auxiliary I/O device(s) 112, and keyboard 116. Modules 310 may comprise,for example, an address book module 312, a messaging module 314 (e.g.for e-mail and/or SMS or MMS messaging), phone application module 316,and a call log module 317.

Address book module 312 is generally configured to allow contactinformation (e.g. individual contact and company names, telephonenumbers, messaging addresses, and other information) to be stored andmanaged. Messaging module 314 facilitates the sending and receiving ofelectronic messages over a wireless network 200 and/or other networks.

Phone application module 316 is generally configured to facilitate voicecommunication between the user and other parties, including theplacement of outgoing calls by the user and the reception of incomingcalls on the mobile device 100. Call log module 317 is generallyconfigured to store and manage calling activity data (for example, timeand date of incoming or outgoing calls, and third party phone numbersinvolved in such calls).

Calls may be placed and received on a communication line specificallyconfigured for voice communications. In certain embodiments, calls mayalternatively or additionally be placed and received on other types ofcommunication lines, including a communication line generally configuredfor data communications, or a communication line configured for bothvoice and data communications, for example. For example, mobile device100 may be configured to provide Voice over IP (VoIP), Enterprise Voice,and/or video phone functionality.

Embodiments described herein are generally applicable to mobile devicesthat provide access to multiple (i.e. two or more) communication lineson which outgoing calls may be placed, as initiated by a mobile deviceuser. Typically, these mobile devices will also be configured to allowincoming calls to be received by the user over the same communicationlines.

In example embodiments, each of the multiple communication lines has adifferent telephone number associated therewith. For example, a user mayhave a business phone number and a different personal phone number. Whena user places an outgoing call on a specific communication line, thephone number associated with that communication line may be identifiedon a receiving party's phone that is equipped with “call display”functionality.

Referring again to FIG. 4, a line selection module (e.g. alternate lineservice (ALS) module) 318 is provided to facilitate selection of thecommunication line to be used by phone application module 316 forplacing an outgoing call, for example. The line selection module 318 isconfigured to select a communication line to be used by phoneapplication module 316, based upon line selection data stored on mobiledevice 100 (e.g. configuration settings that define a defaultcommunication line), and/or based upon input received by the user. Itwill be understood that the functionality of line selection module 318may be provided or otherwise integrated with phone application module316 or with a different module on mobile device 100.

The currently selected communication line on which an outgoing call maybe placed at any given time is also referred to herein as the “active”line. Outgoing calls will be placed on the active line by phoneapplication module 316 until an alternate communication line isselected.

When a user wishes to initiate an outgoing call, the user will typicallybe required to access a call screen provided by an application (e.g.phone application module 316) on mobile device 100. Data identifying theactive line will be displayed to the user in a first display field (e.g.“My Number” field, or phone status field) of the call screen, allowingthe user to quickly identify the communication line on which an outgoingcall will be placed should the user choose to initiate such call. Thisdisplay field may also be referred to as an active line data displayfield. The data identifying the active line typically comprises atelephone number, but may alternatively or additionally comprise someother communication line identifier(s), such as a line descriptor, aliasand/or other identifier, for example.

Should the user wish to initiate an outgoing call to be placed on analternate communication line, the user may need to change the currentactive line using a different application or in a separate screen, andthen return to the call screen to place the call on the alternatecommunication line after the change is made.

Embodiments described herein are generally directed to systems andmethods for providing on a mobile device a dynamic user interface foridentifying a plurality of communication lines on which outgoing callsmay be made.

In some embodiments, a mobile device is provided which is configured toprovide a dynamic user interface for identifying a plurality ofcommunication lines on which outgoing calls may be made. The mobiledevice may comprise a processor, a display, and at least one inputdevice, and the processor may be configured to execute an applicationprogrammed to perform the steps of the method.

A call screen may be displayed on a display of the mobile device. Thecall screen may be provided with a first display field (e.g. “My Number”field or phone status field) in which a first line identifieridentifying a first of the plurality of communication lines may bedisplayed. For example, for a communication line on which the user mayplace an outgoing call, the telephone number correlated to thecorresponding communication line may be displayed as the correspondingline identifier. As a further example, one or more line descriptors,aliases and/or other identifiers may be displayed, in addition to orinstead of the telephone number, as a line identifier. The device mayscan or wait for interaction with the call screen. Upon detection ofcall screen interaction, the device may display on the display a lineselection menu containing a plurality of line identifiers, each lineidentifier uniquely identifying a corresponding one of the communicationlines.

The call screen interaction may comprise the movement of a selectionelement (e.g. a highlight bar, pointer, cursor, or other means toidentify and select menu or list items) displayed on the call screen.The movement of the selection element into a first display field or intoan outgoing call input field may be required for the line selection menuto be displayed. Alternatively, the call screen interaction may compriseinput corresponding to the initiation of an outgoing call (e.g. theinputting of a telephone number). The input may also be provided by theuser by depressing a navigation tool such as a mouse button, track ball,thumb wheel, touchpad, or a pre-programmed key, for example.

In some embodiments, a computer-readable medium is provided comprisinginstructions executable on a processor of the mobile device forimplementing the method.

In another embodiment, a mobile device is provided which is configuredto provide a dynamic user interface for identifying a plurality ofcommunication lines on which outgoing calls may be made. The mobiledevice provides access to a plurality of communication lines on whichoutgoing calls may be made by a user, the mobile device comprising aprocessor, a display, and at least one input device, wherein theprocessor is configured to execute an application programmed to performthe steps of the method.

In yet another embodiment, a method of providing on a mobile device acall log for identifying call activity associated with a plurality ofcommunication lines, is provided. The method comprises: displaying acall screen on a display of the mobile device and displaying call logdata within a call log field on the display. The call log data includesat least one call entry and each call entry includes: call datacorresponding to a third party telephone number, and a line indicia.Further, each line indicia uniquely corresponds to one of thecommunication lines.

The call entry may comprise a call activity indicia, wherein each callactivity indicia uniquely corresponds to a calling activity. The callingactivity may include placing an outgoing call or receiving an incomingcall.

In some aspects, the method may include selecting one from a pluralityof call log categories, wherein each call log category corresponds to atleast one communication line, and filtering the call entries for callentries corresponding to the selected call log category. One of theplurality of call log categories may correspond to all of thecommunication lines, collectively. At least one call entry correspondingto the selected call log category may be displayed.

In some aspects, the method may also include: grouping the call logentries by line indicia, and displaying the grouped call log entries.Furthermore, the groups of call log entries may be ranked. For certainembodiments, a communication line is selected and the group of call logentries having the line indicia corresponding to the selectedcommunication line is displayed first.

A computer-readable medium may be provided which comprises instructionsexecutable on a processor of the mobile device for implementing themethod. Similarly, embodiments may be directed to a system for providinga user interface that facilitates user selection of a communication linefor an outgoing call on a mobile device, the mobile device providingaccess to a plurality of communication lines on which outgoing calls maybe made by a user, the mobile device comprising a processor, a display,and at least one input device, wherein the system is configured toexecute an application programmed to perform the steps of the method.

In alternate embodiments, a mobile device has a call log for identifyingcall activity associated with a plurality of communication lines on themobile device. The mobile device comprises a processor, a display, andat least one input device, wherein the mobile device is configured toaccess a plurality of communication lines, and wherein the processor isconfigured to execute an application programmed to perform the steps of:displaying a call screen on a display of the mobile device anddisplaying call log data within a call log field on the display. Thecall log data comprises at least one call entry and each call entryincludes: call data corresponding to a third party telephone number, anda line indicia. In turn, each line indicia uniquely corresponds to oneof the communication lines.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart illustrating steps of a method ofproviding on a mobile device a dynamic user interface for identifying aplurality of communication lines on which outgoing calls may be made, inaccordance with at least one embodiment, is shown generally as 500.Additional details of some of the features described below in respect ofthe steps of method 500 may be described elsewhere in the presentspecification. Referring now also to FIGS. 6A to 6D, illustrated thereinare screenshots of a user interface provided to a user in one exampleimplementation of an embodiment of the method of FIG. 5 are shown.

In one embodiment, the steps of method 500 are performed at the mobiledevice by an application (e.g. phone application module 316 of FIG. 4)that typically executes and resides on the CPU of the mobile device(e.g. mobile device 100 of FIG. 1). The application need not be astand-alone application, and the functionality described herein may beimplemented in one or more applications executing and residing on themobile device 100.

At Block 510 (shown in FIG. 5), a call screen (such as screen 600illustrated in FIG. 6A) is displayed to the user on a display (e.g.display 110 of FIG. 1) of the mobile device 100. A user may access thecall screen when the user wishes to initiate an outgoing call. This mayrequire first activating a phone application or other application on themobile device 100, by selecting a corresponding item or icon from a menuor home screen, for example (not shown). As noted previously, the mobiledevice 100 provides access to multiple communication lines on whichoutgoing calls may be placed.

In FIG. 6A, screenshot 600 illustrates a user interface displayed in adisplay 110 of a mobile device 100 (shown in FIG. 1), namely a callscreen from which the user can place outgoing calls. Call screen 600 isdisplayed to the user, awaiting user input (e.g. a number to be dialed).A number entry field 602 is provided, and cursor 604 is settled withinnumber entry field 602, indicating that the user may provide a callnumber (e.g. using a keyboard or keypad). General indicators may bedisplayed on call screen 600, including for example, time 606, date 608,network indicator 610, signal strength 612, battery strength 614, alarmindicator 618, service provider indicator 620, ringer indicator 622,and/or Bluetooth™ indicator 624.

A first line identifier 640 identifying a first of the multiplecommunication lines accessible at the mobile device 100 is displayed ina first display field 642 (“active line display field”) of the callscreen 600. The first display field 642 may be referred to as a “MyNumber” field or a “phone status” field, and data 640 displayed thereinidentifies the active line, allowing the user to quickly identify theline on which an outgoing call will be placed should the user choose toinitiate such a call.

The data 640 identifying the active line typically comprises a telephonenumber associated with the active line, but may alternatively oradditionally comprise some other communication line identifier(s), suchas, for example, one or more aliases, identifiers and/or otherdescriptors (e.g. “Mobile Line”, “Work Line”, “Alternate Line”), whichmay be user-defined. A line indicia or icon 644 uniquely correspondingto the active communication line may also be displayed in the firstdisplay field 642 of the call screen 600.

At Block 512 (shown in FIG. 5), the mobile device 100 scans or waits forcall screen interaction by the user. As will be understood, suchscanning or writing may be active or passive.

Subsequently, an input or other call screen interaction by the user maybe detected. For example, such call screen interaction may involve themovement of a selection element (e.g. a highlight bar, pointer, cursor604, or other means to identify and select menu or list items). Theselection element may be re-positioned at the direction of the user,using an input device such as a thumb wheel, track ball, keyboard,mouse, touchpad or other input device. For example, the user may use atrack ball on the mobile device 100, where provided, to manipulate ahighlight bar shown in the call screen 600.

Alternatively, call screen interaction may be detected when a selectionelement (e.g. a highlight bar, pointer, cursor 604, or other means toidentify and select menu or list items) displayed on the call screen 600has been moved into the first display field 642. For example, byrotating the track ball, a highlight bar may be re-positioned tohighlight the data 640 displayed in the first display field 642 (e.g.the telephone number associated with the active line) of the call screen600. Alternatively, the detected call screen interaction may involvemovement of a selection element into the outgoing call input or numberentry field 602. Yet other call screen interaction which may be detectedmay involve the inputting of a telephone number in the number entryfield 602 by the user in order to initiate an outgoing call.

At Block 514 (shown in FIG. 5), upon detection of call screeninteraction, as illustrated in FIG. 6C, a line selection menu 650 isdisplayed on the display. The line selection menu 650 comprises aplurality of line identifiers 640, each uniquely identifying acorresponding one of the communication lines on which the user may placeor make an outgoing call (or receive an incoming call). Line identifiers640 identifying at least a subset of the multiple communication linesaccessible at the mobile device 100 are displayed on the line selectionmenu 650. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6C, the line selection menu650 identifies all the communication lines available on the exampleembodiment of the mobile device 100.

In the example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6C, the line identifier640 corresponding to the currently active line appears first in the lineselection menu 650.

It may be the case that the mobile device 100 provides access tomultiple communication lines, but not all are activated for use, or theuse of certain lines has been restricted in some manner (e.g. asconfigured by a security policy), or certain lines are otherwiseunavailable, for example. In such embodiments, the line selection menu650 may display only the line identifiers 640 corresponding to thosecommunication lines that have been activated and on which the user ispermitted to place an outgoing call.

In some embodiments, as an alternative to immediately displaying theline selection menu 650 upon detection of call screen interaction, atBlock 513 (shown in FIG. 5), the call screen 600 might first prompt fora line changed instruction, e.g. by displaying a “Change Line” indicia660 in the first display field 642 (as illustrated in FIG. 6B). In orderfor the line selection menu 650 to be displayed at Block 514 (shown inFIG. 5), the user may then input a “change line” command. For example,the user may depress the track wheel or track ball while the “ChangeLine” indicia 660 is displayed, to enter the “Change Line Command” andcause the line selection menu 650 to be displayed.

At Block 516 (shown in FIG. 5), the user may select an alternatecommunication line. A selection element (e.g. a highlight bar, pointer,cursor, or other means to identify and select menu or list items) may bedisplayed within the line selection menu 650 and may be re-positioned atthe direction of the user, using an input device such as a thumb wheel,track ball, keyboard, mouse, touch pad, touch screen or other inputdevice. For example, the user may use a track ball on mobile device 100,where provided, to manipulate a highlight bar shown in the display 110.In particular, by rotating the track ball in this example, the highlightbar may be re-positioned to highlight the line identifier 640 associatedwith a particular communication line (e.g. the telephone numberassociated with one of the subset of the multiple communication lines)displayed in the line selection menu 650. Once the user highlights adesired communication line, by manipulating the track ball so that thehighlight bar settles on the corresponding line identifier 640, the usermay then take further action. For example, the user may depress thetrack ball to select the desired communication line.

At Block 518 (shown in FIG. 5), upon selection of a differentcommunication line, the first display field 642 is updated with data 640identifying the user-selected communication line. Accordingly, theuser-selected communication line is identified to the user as thecurrent active line. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6D, the“Alternate Line” has been selected in Block 516 (shown in FIG. 5), whichhas become the currently active line on which outgoing calls will beplaced.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a flowchart illustrating steps of a method ofproviding on a mobile device a call log for identifying call activityassociated with a plurality of communication lines, in accordance withat least one embodiment, is shown generally as 700. Additional detailsof some of the features described below in respect of the steps ofmethod 700 may be described elsewhere in the present specification.Referring now also to FIGS. 8A to 8D, illustrated therein arescreenshots of a user interface provided to a user in one exampleimplementation of an embodiment of the method of FIG. 7 are shown.

In one embodiment, the steps of method 700 are performed at the mobiledevice by an application (e.g. call log module 317 of FIG. 4) thattypically executes and resides on the CPU of the mobile device (e.g.mobile device 100 of FIG. 1). The application need not be a stand-aloneapplication, and the functionality described herein may be implementedin one or more applications executing and residing on the mobile device.

At Block 710 (shown in FIG. 7), a call screen (such as screen 800illustrated in FIG. 8A) is displayed to the user on a display (e.g.display 110 of FIG. 1) of the mobile device 100.

The call screen 800 provides a call log field 810 in which call log data812 stored in memory (e.g. flash memory 108) and associated withpreviously placed outgoing calls and received calls (e.g. includinganswered and missed calls) is displayed (at Block 712 shown in FIG. 7).For each such call 814, call data corresponding to: the associated date816 of the call, a call activity indicia or icon 818 uniquelycorresponding to the calling activity or nature of the call (e.g.placing an outgoing call, answering an incoming call, or missing anincoming call), and call information 820 (e.g. third telephone numberand/or corresponding contact name to or from which the call has beenmade) is displayed. Each call entry 814 is also provided with a lineindicia or icon 822 (similar to the line indicia 644), each of whichuniquely corresponds to one of the communication lines.

In some embodiments, at Block 714 (shown in FIG. 7), the call logentries 814 are grouped according to line indicia 822 prior to beingdisplayed in groups at Block 712, as illustrated in FIG. 8A. Further, insome embodiments, at Block 716 (shown in FIG. 7) the grouped call logentries 814 may be ranked, prior to display at Block 712 (shown in FIG.7).

In some embodiments, at Block 718 (shown in FIG. 7), a communicationline may be selected (for example, as in accordance with method 500,discussed above). Upon selection of a communication line, at Block 720(shown in FIG. 7), the group of call log entries 814 having a lineindicia 822 corresponding to the selected communication line, isdisplayed first.

As can be seen in the example screen shot 800 of FIG. 8D, the “AlternateLine” has been selected (for example, as per Block 516 of method 500shown in FIG. 5). As a result, in Block 720 (shown in FIG. 7), the calllog entries 814 having a line indicia 822 corresponding to the“Alternate Line” are displayed in a group, first before the other groupsof call log entries 814.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 8A, call logcategory selection buttons 830 are displayed in the call screen 800. Onecall log category selection button 830 is provided for each call logcategory, and in turn, each call log category corresponds to at leastone communication line. Thus in the illustrated example of FIG. 8A, acall log category selection button 830 is provided for the “Work”,“Mobile” and “Alternate” lines. In addition, one of the call logcategory selection buttons 830 corresponds to a call log categorycorresponding to “All” of the communication lines. In other embodiments,different call log categories may be established.

By “clicking” or otherwise selecting a call log category selectionbutton 830, at Block 722 (shown in FIG. 7), a user may select acorresponding call log category. Once a call log category has beenselected, in Block 724 (shown in FIG. 7), the call log entries arefiltered for those corresponding to the selected call log category,prior to display in Block 712 (shown in FIG. 7). For example, if a“Mobile” call log category is selected, the call log entries would befiltered for those corresponding to the “Mobile” communication line, andonly the “Mobile” call log entries would be displayed. In the exampledata of FIG. 8A, the “All” call log category has been selected, and as aresult, call log entries 814 corresponding to all of the communicationlines are displayed.

It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the features ofthe user interfaces illustrated with reference to the examplescreenshots described herein are provided by way of example only. Itwill be understood by persons skilled in the art that variations arepossible in variant implementations and embodiments.

The steps of a method of providing a user interface that facilitatesuser selection of a communication line for an outgoing call on a mobiledevice in accordance with any of the embodiments described herein may beprovided as executable software instructions stored on computer-readablemedia, which may include transmission-type media.

The invention has been described with regard to a number of embodiments.However, it will be understood by persons skilled in the art that othervariants and modifications may be made without departing from the scopeof the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of providing on a mobile device auser interface for selecting one of a plurality of communication lineson which outgoing calls are placeable, the method comprising: displayinga call screen on a display of the mobile device; upon detecting callscreen initiation, displaying on the call screen a line selection menucontaining a plurality of line identifiers, each line identifieruniquely identifying a corresponding one of the plurality ofcommunication lines, each of plurality of communication lines whichoutgoing calls are placeable being associated with a unique telephonenumber; and, detecting selection of one of the plurality of lineidentifiers, wherein upon such selection the communication linecorresponding to the selected one of the plurality of line identifiersbecomes a currently active line on which an outgoing call will beplaced.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a firstline identifier identifying a first of the plurality of communicationlines in a first display field of the call screen.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein at least one line identifier comprises the uniquetelephone number associated with its corresponding communication line.4. The method of claim 1, further comprising movement of a selectionelement displayed on the call screen.
 5. The method of claim 4, whereinthe selection element is moved into a first display field.
 6. The methodof claim 4, wherein the selection element is moved into an outgoing callinput field.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receivinginput corresponding to initiation of an outgoing call.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the input corresponds to a telephone number.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein at least one of the line identifierscomprises a line indicia.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the lineindicia comprises an icon.
 11. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumcomprising instructions executable on a processor of the mobile devicefor causing the mobile device to implement the method of claim
 1. 12. Asystem for providing a user interface that facilitates user selection ofa communication line for an outgoing call on a mobile device, the mobiledevice configured to provide access to a plurality of communicationlines on which outgoing calls are placeable, the mobile devicecomprising a processor, a display, and at least one input device,wherein the system is configured to execute an application programmed toperform the method as claimed in claim
 1. 13. A mobile device comprisinga processor, a display, and at least one input device, wherein themobile device is configured to access a plurality of communicationlines; and wherein the processor is configured to: display a call screenon a display of the mobile device; upon detecting call screeninitiation, display on the call screen a line selection menu containinga plurality of line identifiers, each line identifier uniquelyidentifying a corresponding one of the plurality of communication lines,each of plurality of communication lines which outgoing calls areplaceable being associated with a unique telephone number; and, detectselection of one of the plurality of line identifiers, wherein upon suchselection the communication line corresponding to the selected one ofthe plurality of line identifiers becomes a currently active line onwhich an outgoing call will be placed.
 14. The mobile device of claim13, wherein the processor is further configured to display a first lineidentifier identifying a first of the plurality of communication linesin a first display field of the call screen.
 15. The mobile device ofclaim 13, wherein at least one line identifier comprises the uniquetelephone number associated with its corresponding communication line.16. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configuredto move a selection element displayed on the call screen.
 17. The mobiledevice of claim 16, the selection element is moved into a first displayfield.
 18. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the selection elementis moved into an outgoing call input field.
 19. The mobile device ofclaim 13, wherein the processor is configured to receive inputcorresponding to initiation of an outgoing call.
 20. The mobile deviceof claim 19, wherein the input corresponds to a telephone number.